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Aston Villa admirers of Brennan Johnson as £50m update revealed
Aston Villa are admirers of Nottingham Forest winger Brennan Johnson but may face still competition from Brentford for his signature, according to the Daily Mail.
The outlet reported (5 July) that Brentford had a £30million enquiry about the 22-year-old rejected by Forest, so Villa may have to pay Johnson’s reported £50million valuation if they up their interest.
While Johnson was one of Steve Cooper’s standout performers as Forest retained their Premier League status, the East Midlands side could be willing to cash in on the Wales international.
Upgrades needed
Villa’s window so far has been successful, with both Youri Tielemans’ free transfer from Leicester City and Pau Torres’ £35million deal from Villarreal looking like shrewd moves.
However, Villa’s lack of depth in the winger position will be an area Unai Emery will look to address. Having been linked with Ferran Torres and had a real interest in the Tottenham-bound Manor Solomon. Upgrades will be needed in this position if Villa want to challenge on all fronts next season.
Johnson would be an interesting coup for Villa. He performed well for Cooper’s side last season, scoring eight goals including an important brace against relegation rivals Leicester.
He has plenty of potential, but a £50million reported fee with only one season of Premier League experience may be slightly high for Villa. The Premier League and homegrown premium on Johnson may cause Villa to look further afield for their winger upgrade.
Villa’s current wingers, Leon Bailey and Bertrand Traore, will be the likely sufferers here. Neither have performed to expectations since joining Villa Park. Better performances will be needed if they are to make the cut for Villa’s improved side.
Johnson meanwhile is not yet the finished article and may take another season to cement himself as a starter. But a step up to Aston Villa could be an intelligent move if he wants to earn some European experience and learn under a quality coach like Emery.
If Villa want his signature, they may have to act fast amid genuine interest from Brentford, and it would be understandable if Johnson himself found Emery’s project more appealing.
In other Aston Villa news, Diego Carlos may have to fight for his place after Pau Torres update emerges.